Infernale
by kaitoushinichi
Summary: Ten years since Saguru's most horrific memory of his family, the mysterious organization begins to pull the strings controlling Conan, Kaito, Heiji, and him down a road to despair from an angle he never suspected. Chapter 4: Abandoned
1. Bittersweet

I now have my third fic up! (No worries, I'll still be continuing my other two...) In case you don't know, "Infernale" is Italian (according to my dictionary) for "hellish" or "devilish"

(Yeah, yeah, yeah. We all know that I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito, even though all of us wish that we did...)

Also, here is some vocabulary that you might be confused with:

**Touri= (I won't tell you right now)**

**Aneki= Older Sis (Similar to "ANIKI")**

**Gakuran= (the type of school uniform Kaito, Saguru, and Heiji wear)**

* * *

"_Mom! Dad! Where are you?" Saguru called into the seemingly endless, empty darkness. Desperately, he ran into every room, yelling out. He gasped for breath as he frantically banged open door after door. "Are you there?" Saguru's ears began to ring. He sank to the ground in the corner of his room as he clutched his head with both hands. He shut his eyes to try to blink back the tears, and ground his teeth to keep them from chattering. He covered his ears with his palms. This couldn't be happening. Not again. Out of fear, he screamed the only thing he could think of. "__**TOURIIIIIIII!!**__"_

Saguru opened his eyes. He was back in his room, on his bed. _Just a dream huh. No, more like a rerun._ He sighed slightly as he put his right hand to his forehead. His head was banging. _That's why you don't go running around until 4 in the morning,_ he told himself. He sighed deeply. Saguru suddenly heard the sound of Baaya calling him from downstairs. "Hmph." He got up, called back downstairs, "I'll be there in a few minutes," straitened out his blanket, and quickly got into a white shirt and his black school pants. Yawning, he entered the connecting bathroom, and picked up his toothbrush. He glanced at the toothbrush stand. There was one more than usual. "Hmph, she's back eh?" He said to himself.

"Thanks Baaya." Saguru said, grabbing a slice of toast off the thick, dark colored table where his breakfast was laid out on. He picked up his Gakuran jacket from the chair where it hung.

"Saguru. You're not going to eat the rest of that wonderful meal I made for you?" The old housemaid said with a smile.

"Sorry Baaya, but today seems to be a busy day. Besides, I want to wait until dinner to really eat a good meal." He picked up his bag, which was leaning against the wall beside the door, and slipped his cell phone into his pocket. He held a corner of the toast in his mouth. Saguru opened the door, stepped into his shoes, and left.

* * *

"Hey! Did you hear? There's going to be another transfer student today!" Ayumi told her friends excitedly.

Mitsuhiko spoke up. "Yes! I heard it's going to be a girl! Kobayashi-sensei said that her name is… uh…"

"Risou Naitou. The last name 'Naitou' comes from the characters meaning 'inside' and 'wisteria.' Risou is 'jasmine' and 'wise.' It's the name my mother's friend gave me." Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, Genta, Conan, and Haibara all turned around to face a dark haired, brown eyed girl. She smiled sweetly and said, "I'm going to be in this class for the rest of the year. I hope we can have lots of fun together." She giggled. Her shoulder length hair gave a slight bounce. The girl reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a watch. It was an old fashioned one with an opening cover and chain.

"Wow. That's a pretty fancy watch you have there," Conan said.

She smiled sadly while looking at the inside of the clock cover. "It's my grandmother's memento. She passed away when I was four. This is the picture of my family with her. It's my most important treasure," she said, turning her wrist so that the five of them facing her could see the watch. "See, that old lady standing behind me? That's my grandma. That's my mom and dad. My mother's British, just like my grandma," she said, pointing at the figures in the picture.

"That's the same as Haibara then. Her mother's British too. Right Haibara?" Conan said, turning to her.

"Yes, my mother was British. By the way, who is that boy right there?" Haibara asked. She pointed to a short child who was standing with Risou in the picture.

Risou was ready to answer the question which she had anticipated since a long time ago. "That's my older brother. He's been missing since half a year ago after he got caught by the waves at a beach in England. There was a huge storm after that, so the police said that he most likely wouldn't make it," she answered Haibara's question suavely. "He doesn't look very much like an older brother does he? I always ended up taking care of him. He was always so full of curiosity, but he was really small for his age, so he often ended up getting hurt all the time and I had to watch him when he got sick a lot. That's why he always used to call me Risou-nee." Risou stared at the picture with a nostalgic look. "His name was Tanshi. Our birthdays were just about one year apart."

"Risou and Tanshi huh. You both have rather interesting names. Did your mother's friend give your brother's name too?"

"That's right. I think she said you write it, 'search' and 'will.' She always said that the one with the will for curiosity will always be guarded by the wise one. Oh that's right, she used to tell us this old legend about something like that. It was really a long time ago so I can't remember what the story went like. That's where she got our names from."

"Risou-chan! Class is starting, so can you please come up to the front right now? I'd like for you to introduce yourself to the whole class" Kobayashi-sensei called from her desk at the front of the classroom. To the rest of the class, she said, "Everyone, please sit down at your seats. We have a new transfer student today, and I would like to introduce her to you. I expect all of you to welcome her with your most excellent behavior."

Everyone walked over to their seats while Risou skipped forward. Mitsuhiko whispered to Genta, "It always seems that people who are half-and-half of totally different ethnic groups are very cute doesn't it?"

Haibara sat down next to Conan in her seat. "I don't like that attitude of hers," she said.

"Huh, what do you mean?"

"I mean she the way she acts seems too intentional."

"Now that you mention it, her childishness seems sort of deliberate and overdone, especially for a first grader who just transferred from another school," Conan replied. "Well, it could just be that she's trying to fit in. She must be pretty nervous you know. I doubt there's really anything to worry about."

Haibara narrowed her eyes at Risou, who was now seated directly in front of the two of them, but didn't say anything. _Trying to fit in only because she's new, or trying to fit in because that is not her true self?_

* * *

Saguru Hakuba rested his chin on top of his interlocked fingers with his elbows propped up onto the window sill. He checked his watch. Nine minutes and twenty-seven seconds until lunch break was over. He suddenly felt a rush o air over his head, and looked up. Two feet dangled in front of him. "Kuroba, you really are quite a daredevil aren't you?" he said to the very playful teenager who was sitting on the metal bar that crossed the window, legs facing outward toward the schoolyard. "I hope you are aware that that bar is there as a safety precaution, regulated by the district. It isn't there for people to sit on."

"How cold. Maybe you can tell me what's on your mind. It's very unlike you to be daydreaming during class. Especially during biology when you can pick up useful information about corpses which you are most fond of," Kaito said with a grin.

Before the young detective could reply, he felt a slight vibration in his right pants pocket. Kaito looked down at him as Saguru pulled out his cell phone.

_Text message?_ Kaito thought. He jumped down onto the hardwood floor.

"Hey, Kuroba. Give that back!" Saguru said to Kaito, who had snatched his cell phone out of his hand.

"Hey, Hey. Don't be so unfriendly. Let me take a look at this text message of yours. Uhh… let's see…" Kaito quickly browsed through the message history as he tried to keep the small object out of Saguru's reach. "Aha! A text message from… 'Nao.' Let's see what she has to say to you shall we? 'Hi Saguru-chan. It's been about half a year since we last got to go have some fun together. I'll meet you after school today at the usual spot. It'll be my treat. XXX –Nao-chan.'" Kaito whistled teasingly. "Got yourself a girlfriend, Hakuba? I'd like to go meet her," Kaito grinned and tossed the cell phone back to Saguru while making his own appear in his hand. He quickly sent a text message while muttering, "… late… after school… be home in time for dinner… okay, I'll come with you to meet this 'Nao-chan' person."

"Damn you Kuroba." Saguru muttered.

* * *

Rena Mizunashi had finally found her chance to contact Jodie Starling about news of a young member who was beginning to make their move. She glanced around as she quickly pressed the buttons on her cell phone. She held the phone to her ear, and waited impatiently to hear the click which would signal that the FBI agent had picked up. Jodie never interrupted or said anything. The young CIA agent spoke quickly.

"I'm sorry, but I have to be quick about this. I don't have anything new on Bourbon, but I have heard of a secret mission that a lone member is conducting. Only the boss and her parents, who are also members, have been informed of the details about her task. There are rumors of how this member is quite a dangerous one, maybe even more than Gin or Vermouth, but very few in this organization have actually ever met her in person. I have just once seen her real name printed on a file, but I only got a glimpse of the character 'steal.' But, as this name suggests, she is quite talented no, more like a genius not only in crime, but in nearly everything she does. In fact, the theft of the police records was organized by her back when they needed the information on Mouri-tantei, and she's even hacked into government computers, but only to prove that she could. Also, it's been said that she trained under Vermouth in the art of disguise. And yet, she's a mere teenager, about high school freshman age at the most. On top of that, she's got a real bitter personality, but can act and can sweeten herself. It's just like the origin of that spirit that comes from wormwood, and the name of it is derived from how an herbal drink made from wormwood was sweetened with honey and made drinkable to children. That's right. It's the alcoholic drink known as Absinthe."

* * *

Saguru sighed as he sat down at a counter in a small café near the train station. He set his bag down on the small shelf above the counter as Kaito followed suit. "So, she's not here yet? That 'Nao-chan…'"

"Shut up Kuroba."

"Oh, Saguru-chan. You brought a friend?" a voice said to the blonde teenager. Both Kaito and Saguru turned to face a beautiful, black haired woman, probably about 20.

_No way,_ Kaito thought._ Hakuba going out with someone _that_ pretty and older than him by like, what? 3, 4 years?_ He stared at the woman. Her dark, amber eyes sparkled in his direction. He eyed her outfit. _Really good fashion sense too_. He could tell with his years of experience disguising. After a few seconds, Kaito finally attempted to speak. "So uh…"

"You should've told me you were back in Tokyo, Aneki!" Saguru said, cutting Kaito off.

For the first time in months, Kaito stammered in surprise. "A- A-Aneki?!?!?!"

* * *

Please review or else I will go and jump off the roof of my apartment building. (If you don't want to become a murderer, then do as I say... Just Kidding... not very funny is it...*scratches head wondering what to say next*...)

(*-*)


	2. Betrayal

Alright, I'm sorry to be putting these four guys through all this, but it's part of the story so live with it...

* * *

After much hard work, Saguru finally got Kaito to go home. That night, he and Nao had dinner together at home with their father.

"So uh, will you tell me the reason why you decided to come home so suddenly now?" Saguru asked as he set down his fork.

Nao sighed. "You know that man that I told you about, who proposed to me a few months ago? The truth is… I've decided that I want to accept…"

Saguru immediately banged the table with both fists. "What's that supposed to mean? Why didn't you tell me anything of this?" he said angrily.

"Saguru-chan, I…"

"You've never kept anything from me, especially something this important!"

"Saguru! Calm yourself and sit down!" their father ordered.

"No! You promised never to keep secret like these from me. But…" Saguru, unable to speak any further, rushed upstairs and slammed his door shut.

"Saguru-chan!" Nao called after him. She followed her brother up to his room. Putting her hand softly on the white painted door, she called in, "Saguru-chan. I'm sorry. But you know…"

"Why do you care about me anyway?" Saguru shouted at his sister on the other side. "You're not even my real Aneki. After all, you're only like all other people aren't you? Gaining their trust just so you don't become alone and in the en, betraying them for your own selfish reasons!"

"That's not true. I wanted to tell you, but I… I couldn't…"

* * *

"Absinthe…"

The young girl at the desk in the room swiveled her chair to face her eleven-year-old younger brother at the doorway. She had gotten special permission to allow her brother to assist her in her task, which would mean that he would officially become a member of the organization. Her brother, who had just been codenamed "Madeira," was not particularly gifted with a criminal mind like herself, but had photographic memory and was an expert at committing the crimes which she planned, or "running errands" as she called them. "More importantly, did you get the information on my first target?" she asked.

"Yes, Neechan. Here are the files for Heiji Hattori," the boy said, holding out the thick, heavy manila envelope to her. "But why do you need so much? If you're just going to kill him, then it wouldn't be that hard for you…"

She smirked. "Oh no. I'm not _just_ going to kill him. I'm going to have a lot more fun than that." She pulled out the contents of the envelope, and fingered through the stack of papers. "…ah! Here it is. His schedule for today." She quickly looked through it, and got up. "Alright. Madeira, I have a little errand for you to run. Sorry to send you all the way down to Osaka, but be sure to follow those instructions _exactly_. I can't tell you out loud okay?" Absinthe said, handing him a slip of paper.

Madeira took the paper in his hand, looked at it for two seconds, and proceeded to rip the paper to pieces after memorizing it. "Alright. I'm pretty sure I can do that. There'll be lots of opportunities to get rid of the evidence too. But how should I ensure that it wont be fatal?" he asked.

"A pin, string, and scissors. You get it now?" Absinthe smiled at her brother.

Madeira thought for a moment. "Right!" he said, snapping his fingers. "Alright, I'm off."

"Here's your train ticket to Osaka, and 1 million yen (approx. 10 thousand U.S. dollars). That includes the information fee for Heiji Hattori, and your payment for this errand."

"Wait! Neechan! There's no reason to give me _that_ much money!" he said, trying to push away the thick, white envelope in his sister's hand.

"Come on. I've got more money on my hands than I can handle. Anokata _insists_ on getting me paid for everything. Go treat yourself to something out in Osaka while your there. But don't take too long. It's already afternoon."

He sighed. "Fine. Oh right, where's dad right now?"

"Oh, mom and dad are out in America," Absinthe said, facing her desk again. "They've got some work handling one of my targets. They'll be home next week."

"I see." Madeira left the room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

**The Next Day…**

"Hey, Hakuba! Are you there?" Kaito asked, knocking on Saguru's door. The teacher had asked him to deliver the day's homework and notes to him who had skipped school with no contact at all. Saguru's housekeeper had told Kaito that he was in his room, but probably wouldn't answer.

"He won't come out for a while," a voice said from behind him.

Kaito whipped around to see Saguru's older sister. "Oh, it's you. Is something wrong with Haku- I mean Saguru?"

"He always locks himself up in his room whenever he feels like he's been deceived. It can't be helped after what happened, and now because I broke my promise with him," Nao said sadly.

"Alright then," Kaito said, sitting down cross-legged on the floor in the middle of the hallway directly in front of Saguru's door.

"Wha-What are you doing?"

"I'm going to stay right here until he comes out, or at least explains to me what the hell is going on," Kaito told her. "You don't have any problems with that do you?" He smiled at her.

"Well, make sure he doesn't do anything weird. I'm going to go shopping for nearly the rest of the day. Baaya's not going to be here either, so be careful," Nao said, starting down the steps.

"Hakuba. How long do you plan to stay in there? I have things to do too you know!" Kaito called in. it was already an hour since he had started waiting for Saguru.

There was silence for a while. "Hey Kuroba. Do you know what humans really are like?" Saguru's voice suddenly sounded from the other side of the door.

Kaito was taken by surprise. "What are you saying so suddenly?"

Saguru sighed, sitting on the floor and leaning against the door. "You want to know the real reason why I quit elementary school in Japan and studied abroad until coming to high school here?" Saguru looked up at his white, smooth ceiling and sighed again. "Humans are cruel, deceiving, and know only to betray others. Those idiots in fourth grade, they always pretended to be my friend, and all that. Ever since I transferred to that school in first grade, I've always been the one everybody bullied. When I met those guys in third grade, they always defended me from all that. But of course, humans are humans. They turned out to be just what everyone else was."

"Hakuba, you…"

"They pushed me down the staircase. Turns out, they only wanted me by their side to gain the teachers' liking." Saguru's eyes filled with tears. "You know what they did after that? They left me there for the entire night, and the teachers found me the next morning, dehydrated and having a bad injury on my head. On top of that, they put the blame on an innocent second grader. I could've lived with them pretending it was an accident and that they didn't know anything about it, but that was just too much."

Kaito spoke. "But really, that's just a few people…"

"Did I mention the reason why I came back to Japan during high school then? I finally grow used to living in London, make some friends out there, and go hanging around with them. We go into an elevator, and I faint right on the spot with a bad fever. All three of them say that their going to go get some help. Then they leave me there freezing in that elevator, and never come back. The only people that I'm left with to trust are Nao, Baaya, and dad, and now Nao plans on accepting a proposal from some random man without even a word of consult!"

"If you don't like to trust people so much, why are you telling me this?"

Saguru paused for a moment. "I… I think it's because… the reason I'm trusting you right now is… probably because you're so similar to her…"

"Her?" Kaito asked.

Saguru put his hand on his side of the door. "It's probably why I want to catch you as Kaitou KID so much too… You remind me of her, always so playful and happy and mischievous and acting like you haven't a care in the world…" Saguru wiped away his tears. "Ca-can you just… just leave already?" he asked, as more tears continued to pour out. "I just wish you'd disappear from in front of me. Just like she did…"

* * *

Conan burst into the Detective Agency office after school, panting.

"Conan-kun? Are you okay? Is anything wrong?" Ran asked worriedly.

Gasping for air, Conan managed to say, "I… just got… phone call… Heiji-niichan… involved in a motorbike… accident…."

"What?! Hattori-kun got in a motorbike accident?"

Conan took a few moments before he fully regained his breath. "I heard it's not fatal, but Kazuha-neechan called me and told me that Heiji-niichan wanted us there right away. He can't move right now, and he's been seriously injured."

"We've got to go immediately then! Conan-kun, get ready. Go wake dad up. I'll get things ready for the train to Osaka."

"Alright, Ran-neechan."

A few hours later, Conan, Ran, and Kogoro arrived at Osaka City Hospital. The three of them quickly found Heiji's room. With bandages all over his forehead and arm, he welcomed them with sad eyes.

"Ran-chan! You came!" Kazuha exclaimed.

"Kazuha-chan. Is Hattori-kun alright?" Ran asked her friend.

"Actually, I'll tell you later," she replied in a quiet voice. "Heiji got quite a shock from what the doctors told him…"

"Hey Kazuha. Can you take the neechan outside for a few minutes? I want to talk to the kid alone for a little bit," Heiji said.

Kazuha said okay as she led Ran out the door. Conan and Heiji, left alone for he moment looked at each other for a second before Heiji quickly looked away.

"Hattori, what happened?" Conan said.

"The doctor told me that I… I won't be able to recover," he said, sadly looking out the window with a pitiful, shameful look on his face. He breathed deeply and continued, "He said… I won't be able to walk again… that the lower half of my body… is permanently paralyzed."

* * *

I feel so sorry for Heiji, but that's the way things are.

Please review if you want me to continue...


	3. Traps

"And I'm positive that someone's behind this accident Kudo," Heiji said.

"Huh?" Conan was startled by the young Osakan's affirmative tone.

"That package was sent to this hospital for _me _a single day _before _this accident," he said, waving his hand towards the corner of the room. There was a single open box. Conan stepped forward to examine the contents of the box closely. Conan immediately understood why the phone call from Heiji had been so urgent. The box was filled with pictures of himself in regular size, child form, and the high school detective Saguru Hakuba, most of them off centered and a little blurred. There was no doubt that these pictures where taken secretly, and upon further examination, he saw that his own pictures were stacked alternatively.

"Whoever it is knew that I was going to get injured, and they also know about you, Kudo."

"What do you propose we do about this?"

"I don't really know. Just be careful and lookout for anything strange. For now, I had the forensics people check out the remains of my motorbike, but they said that there was nothing wrong with it. But I know Kudo, that whoever it was wanted me injured, and they're after you too…"

"Hattori, I know you might not like the idea of this, but I really think that it might be good to have Hakuba Saguru working with us."

Heiji sighed and looked out the window. "As much as I hate him, I can't let somebody go injured, especially after what's happened to me."

"By the way, what exactly happened out there? When you got injured, I mean."

"I don't really remember. Fortunately, nobody else was involved, but it seems like I lost consciousness for the most part. The doctor said that the bike actually sort of crushed my spine right below the ribcage. The involuntary organs are functioning properly though."

"Do you remember any time when you left your bike unattended?"

"There are plenty of times like that. I always park it outside at home, and I was out questioning people for this case today…"

"Hattori-kun?" Ran poked her head inside. "Are you alright? Conan-kun, it's already been fifteen minutes since you went in there. I think Hattori-kun needs to rest a bit…"

"Okay Ran-neechan!" Conan hopped toward the door. "Heiji-niichan. If you ever need anything, call us okay?" Conan waved and followed Ran out the door. Kazuha was outside with her.

"Conan-kun, what did you and Hattori-kun talk about for fifteen minutes?"

"Oh… uh…" Conan wasn't very prepared for this question. _What could an injured person want with a little first grader for fifteen minutes? _"He just seemed like he wanted something to cheer hum up! And he asked me to tell Shinichi-niichan something. I really don't understand what the words mean because it's in code, but he didn't want Kazuha-neechan and you to hear it!"

"Oh, really?" Ran said, sounding interested.

"Conan-kun, Ran-chan, you want to go get something from the vending machines in the lobby?" Kazuha asked.

"Sure," Conan said. "But I need to go to the restrooms right now. You guys can go ahead, Ran-neechan!" Conan rushed to the nearby restrooms and quickly pulled out his cellphone and called Agasa-hakase. It didn't take long for the professor to pick up.

"Oh, Shinichi-kun. Did something happen?"

"Hakase, sorry for calling so suddenly, but can you please find out where Hakuba Saguru lives? You know, that blond high school detective who's the son of…"

The continuous beeping sound coming from his phone interrupted him.

"Hakase? Hakase? Hello?"

His phone began to ring. Conan quickly pressed the small green button.

"Hakase? What happened?"

"Sorry Shinichi-kun. My hand slipped and I accidentally ended the call. You want Hakuba Saguru's address? Okay, I think I can manage that."

"Thanks Hakase." Conan cut the phone and put it back into his pocket.

* * *

"Absinthe. Kir's waiting."

The young girl waved a hand from her chair. "Send her in. I have another job for you, Madeira, to keep you busy. Just go to the Kuroba house today. Here are your instructions. Throw that in the fire along with his hands once you're done with it."

Her brother left without a word. Kir stepped in a moment later.

"Welcome to my office, Kir," Absinth stated calmly. She swiveled her chair around to face her visitor.

It was clear that Kir was taken aback by the girl's appearance. She smirked. "It is an honor to see the well rumored, second youngest organization member."

"Oh, I hope I'm not as rumored as you say I am. Information about me is quite confidential." She paused for a moment. "I can quite clearly tell that you are surprised by my condition."

"And what could you possible have with me?" Kir asked calmly.

"This," Absinthe answered, tossing a large file folder towards Kir. She caught it, and opened the cover.

"Th-this…" She could hardly say anything. The entire folder was filled with all her papers and contracts as a CIA agent.

"My, my, my. You didn't notice the numerous mount of times I snuck into your apartment?" Absinthe sneered.

Kir seemed to regain her stance. "And? I don't believe that you, who works so close to _Anokata_ would allow me to stay alive and well like this."

"Of course, I have a small job for you: Applying information to your little FBI friends about me."

"What?..."

"Of course, not every little detail, but just enough for them to sense danger and pass on what you tell them to a particular Edogawa Conan." Absinthe saw the expression on Kir's face. "And I'm sure you'd be very willing to cooperate," she said, holding up a picture of Hondou Eisuke.

Kir gasped slightly, then said calmly, "Alright. Could you please tell me just one thing?"

"Why I am doing this?"

Kir nodded.

"Simple. To send these four," Absinthe held up pictures of Kudo Shinichi, Hattori Heiji, Hakuba Saguru, and Kuroba Kaito for her to see. "…straight down to hell. The same hell that Anokata went through…"

"The same hell?"

Absinthe chuckled. "You really don't know a thing about Anokata do you? Even about his father's abuse towards him…"

"Abuse? You mean our former boss?"

"That was his foster father. His mother died at childbirth, and his real father physically abused him, even when he got the same disease as I did." She patted the small lumps on her back, covered by the cloth of her shirt. "This brace is something that we both have to keep on for most of the day. His movements are a lot more restricted than mine are, and I don't have to keep it on as often as he does. Well, that's enough talk. You may leave already, and keep in mind that you'll see your precious little brother of yours covered in blood if you do anything... unnecessary."

_

* * *

_

I finally have it,

Conan thought, as he clutched the small red and white pill in his hand. _With this, I'll become Kudo Shinichi again._ His conversation with Haibara ran through his mind once again.

"_Kudo-kun. I hope you understand that there is absolutely no turning back once you become your old self."_

"_C'mon Haibara. I don't even _want_ to be Conan okay?"_

"_What I mean is, if you ever fail to use the right dose of shots, you'll never be able to turn back to Kudo Shinichi, or you'll die on the spot."_

_Conan felt himself hesitate a moment. "I'll be alright."_

"_Now according to my calculations, you'll have less than ten minutes until you begin to turn back to Conan, so I'll have this ready," she said, showing Conan a syringe containing a clear liquid inside.. "This is another drug I developed with the antidote. It should stop the effects of APTX 4869. If I can get the calculations right, I'll be able to extend the amount of time it takes each time until you need this again."_

Conan quickly stuck the small capsule into his mouth and down his throat. The effects began immediately.

A minute later, Shinichi came out of the bathroom, fully dressed. "Haibara?" He called.

"I'm right over here!" The young scientist said. She was in the living room. She eyed Shinichi's clothes. "You are not going to school right now," she told him firmly. "I still need to stay by you for the first few times you use that drug. We still don't know exactly when or how much you need every time."

Shinichi sighed. "Alright."

* * *

The room was dark. Two figures sat on the chair, the smaller one sitting across the other's lap, legs crossed. She wore a black dress and black, 10 centimeter high heels. She had her arms around his shoulders, face close to his. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Absinthe," the one holding her whispered.

She put a finger on his lips. "I told you to call me by name Ritsu. I can't stay like this for very long, and i'm using my very limited amount of time for you. Right now, you aren't my boss. You are my best friend and," she put her face nearer. "... my lover."

"Touri…"

"Now that's better." Touri rand her hand down his spine. "Ritsu, something's bothering you…"

"How did you know?"

"I always know Ritsu. Ever since we met, we've shared every pain and joy between us. That was something Saa-nii never did for me." She put her hand on his chest. "I told you remember? When our former boss died, I would be your family for you. Now tell me what's bothering you."

"I told you there's nothing…"

"Yes there is. I know that those lips are bothering you now…" She gently brought her face forward and kissed Ritsu warmly. She chuckled, kicked off her shoes, and curled up her legs onto his lap. She held him closer. "Ritsu…"

* * *

Okay, I feel very sorry for both Kaito and Heiji now... And Shinichi too...


	4. Abandoned

Okay, I'm finally back... And I'm still working on my 7th chapter which I'm getting nowhere at... And I'm working on trying to concentrate on my Japanese school studies rather than doing this....

**Oh yeah, I forgot to mention when I was first starting this fic: This story does not contain resolutions to the entire Pandora story... This fic basically started out with me thinking abou Saguru's past...** (If you don't want to read this anymore, the back button is up there^)

* * *

With the last ring of the school bells, Kaito and Aoko walked down the steps and emerged from the school gates. Outside, a young woman stood, as though waiting for someone.

"Nao-san! Are you waiting for someone here?" Kaito asked.

"Kaito, who is that?" Aoko asked cautiously. The fact that such a pretty looking woman knew Kaito and was waiting for someone outside of their school gates bothered her.

Nao introduced herself. "Hello. I'm Saguru-chan's older sister. You must be Aoko-san. Saguru-chan talks about you often."

Aoko blushed slightly. "Speaking of Hakuba-kun, where is he? Hasn't he been gone too long to be having a cold?"

Nao glanced over at Kaito as she said, "Oh, he got caught up in some sort of a case…Anyway, I'd like a little bit of time with Kaito-kun. Is that okay with you?"

"Of course," Aoko said. After Kaito and Nao left, she felt angry at herself. _Why am I letting that lady go walking around alone with Kaito???_She huffed, slung her school bag over her shoulder, and stomped in the opposite direction of her home. She quickly arrived at a small restaurant. Aoko sat down at the counter, and asked for an iced coffee.

* * *

"What's wrong, Nao-san?" Kaito asked as he found Nao in the bathroom. Having to buy some groceries for his mom, he had gone home first before arriving at the Hakuba house, only a minute after Nao. He immediately saw that Saguru's bedroom door was left open. He also heard the sound of running water, and felt hot vapor from the bathroom. Nao and Kaito found Saguru sitting by the filled bathtub, arm inside, and dark liquid flowing in the water. Kaito immediately knelt beside him, and put his hand to Saguru's neck. "Nao-san. Help me pull him out. He's still alive, and by the look of the amount of blood, he hasn't been in here for long."

After pulling him out, Kaito bandaged Saguru's wrist, changed his clothes, and laid him in bed while Nao cleaned up the bathroom. Kaito decided that for once, he would like to act like Tantei-san, and began to investigate Saguru's room, hoping to find the cause of his suicide attempt. There was a medium sized box on the floor next to the door. Kaito cautiously walked up to it, and peered over the flap of the cardboard lid. His eyes widened as he saw inside the box, a white sip of paper, written, "To My Beloved Sounai Saguru Sama," and underneath it, a pile of cash, all in 10000 yen banknotes.

Hearing a slight bit of movement, Kaito asked, "Are you awake now?" as he turned around towards the bed.

Saguru was sitting on the bed, upright, and staring down at his hands.

"You alright?"

"I'm such an idiot aren't I?"

"I can't say that you aren't. Why d'you do this? Seriously, if you have something that's really bothering you, just tell me. Everyone else has been worried about you until now since you refused to come to school, and suddenly you decide to commit suicide."

"Was everybody really that worried?"

"What else would they be? Rumor was that you got killed in some sort of case, and nobody was really very happy about that you know. Now _why_ did you try to go and kill yourself? Hm?"

"You know the real reason why I wanted to be a detective?"

"Hakuba, what are you talking about so suddenly?"

Saguru continued, ignoring Kaito's question. "It didn't really matter actually. What I became, just so long as it was something that would make me famous. I just wanted to prove to them, my parents that I was someone they would regret abandoning."

"Abandoning?"

Saguru nodded. "When I was about seven or eight. Nobody really knows why; it's not like they had financial problems or debts, there weren't any strange family relationships according to police investigations, and I was definitely blood related to both parents, confirmed by DNA tests…"

"Hakuba… Your last name used to be Sounai?"

"Oh, you saw that?" Saguru asked, gesturing toward the box.

"Yes, but you still haven't completely answered my question. WHY did you try to commit suicide?"

"I was just afraid… That everyone else would leave me like my parents. That's why I didn't want Aneki to get married… I'm just being paranoid I guess. I'm just scared that if she gets married, she'll disappear. That's why I don't like to make friends. They seem to all disappear, and I swore to myself long ago that I wouldn't make any more friends… But… I just can't seem to listen to myself… I don't want to be alone, I don't like to make friends, but I still want to. I really am such an idiot aren't I, Kuroba-kun?"

With that last statement, Saguru felt Kaito's knuckles tap his forehead, and he looked up.

"Hakuba, you really _are_ an idiot," he scoffed. "It was exactly the same with me when my old man died. I didn't want to see or talk to anybody, because I felt that everyone would just disappear sometime. But in the end, there's nobody in this world who can make it out there by themselves. We all need friends. But you know what?"

Saguru remained silent.

"I decided that, I'd trust my friends until it's proven that they aren't friends. I decided that if any of my friendships are false, I'd just go on and make them true."

* * *

Shinichi, fully transformed and over with his first few shots of strange drugs Haibara claimed to be sure to work, stood outside the Hakuba residence. He still hadn't gone to meet Ran yet, but Haibara had said that she would disguise as him for now, and it would seem less suspicious if there was a difference in the times which he and "Conan" appeared. _Now, how to explain to him about how he is currently targeted by some dangerous, unknown person who made Hattori unable to walk..._ He pondered for a moment. _Well, I guess I'll somehow manage improvising. Gotta be sure I don't accidentally act like a kid out of habit._ He walked up and pressed the doorbell.

"Yes?" A female voice called from inside. Nao opened the door, and the two of them stared at each other for a minute.

_Holy crap. I didn't know that Hakuba had such a young-looking mom…and a total killer too…_

Nao, stunned by how similar Shinichi looked to Kaito, couldn't move for a while. Then she said, "Are you by any chance, Kaito-kun's brother or something?"

"Kaito-kun? I'm an only child. I'm sorry for the sudden intrusion but, I am Kudo Shinichi, a high-school detective just like your son, and I was wondering if he was home."

"My son? Oh no. I'm Saguru-chan's older sister, Hakuba Nao."

"O-ol-older sister??"

Nao chuckled. "I got the same exact reaction from Kaito-kun. Both he and Saguru-chan are here right now, but Saguru-chan might not want to talk right now."

Shinichi stared at her questioningly as she led him inside. Just as he'd gotten his shoes off, Shinichi froze once again. Before him, stood Kaito, equally as surprised as the detective.

_What the hell is Tantei-kun doing here. Or rather, how the hell did he get here, in his original body??_

Then, Kaito smirked. "Hello, Kudo Shinichi-kun. I've seen you a lot in newspapers, Meitantei-san, though you were rumored to be dead."

Shinichi smiled back. "Yes, I am alive and well. You must be 'Kaito-kun.' What an honor it is to have the chance to meet one of the two other people in this world besides myself who looks exactly like me. We both have to be careful now don't we, since they say that 'Out of the two others besides yourself that could be mistaken for you, your meeting with one may be forgiven, but the second one you see will be your death.'"

"Then the third one of us must be Edogawa Conan-kun," Kaito said with the usual panache of Kaitou KID. "He's been on the newspapers a few times in your absence, and he's famous for being a member of the Detective Boys, as they call themselves."

Shinichi suddenly found the poised attitude of Kaito strangely suspicious, and without thinking said, "And he's also famed for defending the Suzuki family's treasure, the Black Star from Kaitou KID."

"I've heard." Kaito's smile weakened slightly before he remembered his poker face.

_What the hell am I doing? I'm supposed to be here for that Hakuba guy. Shouldn't be wasting my time with this freakish twin person_. Shinichi kicked his ankle. "Hakuba-san? About…"

"Just call me Nao. My father and Saguru-chan are _both_Hakuba family members you know."

"Nao-san then, I was wondering if you were really sure that I can't meet Saguru-kun right now. It's rather… important."

"Oh, in what way?" Nao asked, hoping that it had nothing to do with his parents.

"A life-or-death situation involving a *ahem* _friend_ of his getting into a motorbike accident."

"Oh no. What has he gotten himself into now?" Nao asked.

"Could it possibly have anything to do with that strange package in his room that I found?" Kaito spoke up.

"What package?" Nao asked.

"There was this box in his room. It was open, and apparently it was filled with a huge sum of cash, along with a note addressed to him in his real name."

Shinichi perked up at that statement. "Real name? You mean to say that 'Hakuba' isn't his real name?"

"No, it isn't" a voice sounded from the stairs. "To see Kudo Shinichi-kun, the famous detective who's gone missing for quite a long time, being here, it must be quite urgent. Now, what is it you'd like to talk to me about?" Saguru asked.

"Well, uh… First things first, you know Hattori right? The high school detective of the east?"

"Yes? What about him?"

"Well, he got caught up in this extremely dangerous case, and there's a high possibility that you are going to be pulled into it to."

"What makes you think that?" Saguru questioned.

"I suppose this picture of you which seems to have been taken in a hurry and in secret, which was sent to Hattori _before_he got caught in his so called 'motorbike accident', would be most convincing," Shinichi said, holding up the picture he had borrowed from Heiji. "But before we discuss anything any further, I request that we be alone."

Saguru nodded, and led Shinichi into the library. 


End file.
